Writing the Article: Leads, Quotes, and Organization
Questions have been asked, interviews have been conducted, and information has been obtained. Now comes the task that is often seen to be the most daunting: writing the high-quality article that will garner the readers' attention.
Leads
The lead is the beginning, and most important, part of an article. It sets the tone for the entire article, and often determines the length and breadth of the article itself. The lead draws a reader into the story, and keeps them interested in the information. Leads can be anywhere from 1 to 3 sentences long.
What Makes a Good Lead
A good lead has three crucial components:
Sets an appropriate mood and tone for the story
Draws in the reader
Gives some information into the subject of the article itself
A good journalist will ensure that their lead fits all of these criteria, and will keep these criteria in mind when choosing angles to write the story through. Consider the story you are writing. Does it require a serious tone, or can it be written from a humorous point of view? Does it require a real attention-grabbing lead, or is it interesting enough to draw the reader in without an unconventional opening? Is there information that the reader should know by the end of the first three lines of the article? Use the answers to these questions to help formulate your lead.
Types of Leads
There are multiple types of leads, all with a specific purpose, style, mood, tone, color, breadth, depth, and length. All of these aspects must be considered when choosing what kind of lead to write. The following are multiple types of leads, with relevant but fictional headlines.
Summary Lead
Summary leads contain the essentials of the article: the who, what where, when, why, and how. They are normally shorter than 40-50 words. They are the typical journalist's lead, as seen in many national and local newspapers.
High School Assistant Principal Dr. Melanie-Jo McCarthy, along with Principal Gregory Pucket and Assistant Principal Ryan Johnston, kicked off the school's No Place for Hate initiative on Friday, September 9th, with an assembly led by psychologist Michael Fowlin.
Single-Item Lead
Focusing on a single aspect of the story, this lead gives a greater punch and excites the reader.
Springfield's Lady Spartan Basketball Team won at Districts.
Delayed Identification Lead
Often, a story might be very interesting, but the subject may not be very well known. Using a delayed identification lead, journalists can draw readers into a story without initially identifying who the story is about.
Over the summer, the District welcomed a new Human Resources Director to their administrative staff.
Analogy Lead
A sure-fire way to get the readers' attention is to compare the story at hand with something they are familiar with. This comparison must be fair, accurate, and unbiased.
The Board of School Directors proposed a budget at Tuesday's meeting that proposes cuts that pale in comparison to cutbacks made by surrounding school districts.
Amazing Fact Lead
This lead uses a surprising, unknown, and related fact to catch the readers' attention.
Springfield Township High School is among the top ten schools in the tri-county area, according to a recently published report.
Opposite Lead
Present one viewpoint, and then an opposing viewpoint, to open the story.
A new study out from the University of Pennsylvania claims that the use of cell phones as learning devices in school is not a practical alternative to notebook or tablet computers. Springfield Township High School disagrees.
Quote
Quotations from relevant primary and secondary sources add new depth to an otherwise flat article, and help present multiple points of view without appearing biased. They also help break up ideas and transition from one thought to another within the article. However, quotes can be difficult to incorporate into an article, depending on the story and the content of the quote.
Incorporating Quotes
In articles, quotations are most often incorporated after an idea has been fully fleshed out and explained. In this instance, the quotation serves to add another point of view to the presented idea, or to provide relevant commentary on the issue. Often, such quotes will appear at the end of a paragraph, or will serve as their own separate paragraph at the end of a series of connected paragraphs on the subject. Quotes can also be used to introduce ideas; in this case, quotations are placed at the beginning of a paragraph or set of paragraphs. Introductory quotes are normally unbiased, or are expert opinions. Note that quotations should never serve as the lead of an article.
Separate Quotes
In some instances, quotations may be compiled from numerous sources that are all presented in a section separate from the article itself. Often, such quotes are answering a single question asked to all of the sources. Such a compilation should include opinions from all sides of an issue, and should include student, teacher, staff, and administrative sources if relevant. This section may be laid out in an eye-appeasing style, but should show favor for any one side or argument.
Warnings about Quotations
When using quotations, some issues may arise. When transcribing quotations from audio or video recordings, mistakes may occur that change the meaning of the excerpt. This error can also happen if quotes are being recorded by hand. Journalists must take advanced precautions with such quotations, especially if the recording is difficult to understand. If unsure about a certain word or phrase in a recording, consult the Editor-in-Chief and advisers, or reconfirm the quotation directly with the source.
Quotations should always be attributed to a specific source. This attribution should be incorporated into the article itself, and should contain any relevant title of the source, such as Director of Admissions, Superintendent, Principal, Department Coordinator, and the like.
Staff members and advisers for The Chronicle should never be quoted in an article, as this is a conflict of interest.
Organization
The structure of an article helps not only to keep the information organized, but also to keep the readers' attention throughout the story. It is best for a single issue to contain articles that utilize varying structures to keep the reader enthused. There are three main structure styles, each with their own advantages, disadvantages, and usages.
The Inverted Pyramid Style
This style is the most commonly used structure style in newspapers. It is the best structure for hard news articles. It presents the most pertinent facts and information in the first few paragraphs of the article, with each new paragraph presenting points that are less and less important. An example follows below:
The Martini-Glass or Wine-Glass Style
The Martini-Glass or Wine-Glass Style is very similar to the Inverted Pyramid Style, but is better suited for stories that rely on a specific chronology. It begins by presenting the most important facts in the first few paragraphs, from most to least important, and then transitions into a chronological explanation of the events. The article ends with a surprising fact or afterthought that succinctly ends the story. An example follows below:
Kabob Style
Better for soft news and anecdotal articles, this structure uses a story to transition into and out of a general discussion of the topic, with a clarifying paragraph thrown in the mix. An example follows below:
Works Cited
Grabowski, Mark. “How to Write Good Story Leads.” CubReporters.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://cubreporters.org/leads.html>.
- - -. “Journalism Story Structure.” CubReporters.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://journalism-education.cubreporters.org/2010/08/journalism-story structure.html>.
Hall, Jim. “The Structure of the News Story.” Beginning Reporting. Virginia Commonwealth U, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://www.courses.vcu.edu/ENG-jeh/BeginningReporting/Writing/storystructure.htm>. Paragraph of details about season so far
Writing the Article: Leads, Quotes, and Organization
Questions have been asked, interviews have been conducted, and information has been obtained. Now comes the task that is often seen to be the most daunting: writing the high-quality article that will garner the readers' attention.
Leads
The lead is the beginning, and most important, part of an article. It sets the tone for the entire article, and often determines the length and breadth of the article itself. The lead draws a reader into the story, and keeps them interested in the information. Leads can be anywhere from 1 to 3 sentences long.What Makes a Good Lead
A good lead has three crucial components:A good journalist will ensure that their lead fits all of these criteria, and will keep these criteria in mind when choosing angles to write the story through. Consider the story you are writing. Does it require a serious tone, or can it be written from a humorous point of view? Does it require a real attention-grabbing lead, or is it interesting enough to draw the reader in without an unconventional opening? Is there information that the reader should know by the end of the first three lines of the article? Use the answers to these questions to help formulate your lead.
Types of Leads
There are multiple types of leads, all with a specific purpose, style, mood, tone, color, breadth, depth, and length. All of these aspects must be considered when choosing what kind of lead to write. The following are multiple types of leads, with relevant but fictional headlines.Summary Lead
High School Assistant Principal Dr. Melanie-Jo McCarthy, along with Principal Gregory Pucket and Assistant Principal Ryan Johnston, kicked off the school's No Place for Hate initiative on Friday, September 9th, with an assembly led by psychologist Michael Fowlin.
Single-Item Lead
Springfield's Lady Spartan Basketball Team won at Districts.
Delayed Identification Lead
Over the summer, the District welcomed a new Human Resources Director to their administrative staff.
Analogy Lead
The Board of School Directors proposed a budget at Tuesday's meeting that proposes cuts that pale in comparison to cutbacks made by surrounding school districts.
Amazing Fact Lead
Springfield Township High School is among the top ten schools in the tri-county area, according to a recently published report.
Opposite Lead
A new study out from the University of Pennsylvania claims that the use of cell phones as learning devices in school is not a practical alternative to notebook or tablet computers. Springfield Township High School disagrees.
Quote
Quotations from relevant primary and secondary sources add new depth to an otherwise flat article, and help present multiple points of view without appearing biased. They also help break up ideas and transition from one thought to another within the article. However, quotes can be difficult to incorporate into an article, depending on the story and the content of the quote.Incorporating Quotes
In articles, quotations are most often incorporated after an idea has been fully fleshed out and explained. In this instance, the quotation serves to add another point of view to the presented idea, or to provide relevant commentary on the issue. Often, such quotes will appear at the end of a paragraph, or will serve as their own separate paragraph at the end of a series of connected paragraphs on the subject. Quotes can also be used to introduce ideas; in this case, quotations are placed at the beginning of a paragraph or set of paragraphs. Introductory quotes are normally unbiased, or are expert opinions. Note that quotations should never serve as the lead of an article.Separate Quotes
In some instances, quotations may be compiled from numerous sources that are all presented in a section separate from the article itself. Often, such quotes are answering a single question asked to all of the sources. Such a compilation should include opinions from all sides of an issue, and should include student, teacher, staff, and administrative sources if relevant. This section may be laid out in an eye-appeasing style, but should show favor for any one side or argument.Warnings about Quotations
When using quotations, some issues may arise. When transcribing quotations from audio or video recordings, mistakes may occur that change the meaning of the excerpt. This error can also happen if quotes are being recorded by hand. Journalists must take advanced precautions with such quotations, especially if the recording is difficult to understand. If unsure about a certain word or phrase in a recording, consult the Editor-in-Chief and advisers, or reconfirm the quotation directly with the source.Quotations should always be attributed to a specific source. This attribution should be incorporated into the article itself, and should contain any relevant title of the source, such as Director of Admissions, Superintendent, Principal, Department Coordinator, and the like.
Staff members and advisers for The Chronicle should never be quoted in an article, as this is a conflict of interest.
Organization
The structure of an article helps not only to keep the information organized, but also to keep the readers' attention throughout the story. It is best for a single issue to contain articles that utilize varying structures to keep the reader enthused. There are three main structure styles, each with their own advantages, disadvantages, and usages.The Inverted Pyramid Style
This style is the most commonly used structure style in newspapers. It is the best structure for hard news articles. It presents the most pertinent facts and information in the first few paragraphs of the article, with each new paragraph presenting points that are less and less important. An example follows below:The Martini-Glass or Wine-Glass Style
The Martini-Glass or Wine-Glass Style is very similar to the Inverted Pyramid Style, but is better suited for stories that rely on a specific chronology. It begins by presenting the most important facts in the first few paragraphs, from most to least important, and then transitions into a chronological explanation of the events. The article ends with a surprising fact or afterthought that succinctly ends the story. An example follows below:Kabob Style
Better for soft news and anecdotal articles, this structure uses a story to transition into and out of a general discussion of the topic, with a clarifying paragraph thrown in the mix. An example follows below:Works Cited
Grabowski, Mark. “How to Write Good Story Leads.” CubReporters.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://cubreporters.org/leads.html>.
- - -. “Journalism Story Structure.” CubReporters.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://journalism-education.cubreporters.org/2010/08/journalism-story structure.html>.
Hall, Jim. “The Structure of the News Story.” Beginning Reporting. Virginia Commonwealth U, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://www.courses.vcu.edu/ENG-jeh/BeginningReporting/Writing/storystructure.htm>.
Paragraph of details about season so far